


Happy With Me

by ImaRavenclaw



Series: The Great Tale of Me, Lyra Malfoy Verse [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Death, Established Relationship, Fighting, Grieving, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Meeting the Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 12:11:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9123046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaRavenclaw/pseuds/ImaRavenclaw
Summary: TJ meets Ben’s parents.Part of the GTOLM verse.For PaulaTheProkaryote, and her In-Laws challenge.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paulatheprokaryote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paulatheprokaryote/gifts).



 

On the morning of the nineteenth my eyes peel open to TJ’s face illuminated by the sunrise. This look of permanent chagrin hasn’t left his face (even when asleep), since I told him that I was going to take him to meet my parents today. I feel bad for making him anxious, but I’m getting more and more of a feeling that they’re going to be his mother and father-in-law. That’s just how much I love him.

 

His eyes flutter open, his beautiful blonde eyelashes like butterflies. For a moment, he looks so calm, as if he’s forgotten completely about meeting my parents. I have the time to press a kiss to his forehead and have him mumble “morning love”, before he remembers what day it is and freaks out.

 

“No!” He tumbles out of bed, taking the covers with him and rolling around on the floor. “I’m not ready.”

 

“TJ, they’re gonna love you. Stop driving yourself crazy.”

 

“What if I say something humiliating? What if I don’t laugh at the funniest joke in the world? What if they laugh at me because I don’t have an KPhone?”

 

“Okay, first of all: it’s called an IPhone. And second, I don’t even have one of those TJ. Muggleborn, not muggle, remember?” I tug him back into the bed, and give him a little reassuring smile. “Come on, it’s only nine thirty. If you get back into bed now we can cuddle for ten minutes.”

 

TJ seems to think about it, and it doesn’t seem to take long because before I know it he’s crawling back into bed with me and pressing himself up against my body like a cat.

 

“You’re so beautiful.” I mumble into his hair.

 

“I know,” he replies, smirking playfully. I boop him on the nose, and for the next three minutes we’re twisting and turning around each other in the morning rays of sunlight. We gnaw at skin and curl hair around fingers, breathing each other in. I smile against his little pink lips.

 

“Take me somewhere nice.” He asks, closing his eyes. Waiting.

 

“You’re by yourself,” I start. We’ve done this for as long as I can remember. We close our eyes, and we think about anywhere and anything. It’s all TJ asks for when he’s feeling nervous, or upset. It’s what he asks when he’s thinking about his sister, or another dreaded quidditch interview. It’s what we do when we just want some pretty in an otherwise dull world.

 

“On a train. You have no idea where this train will take you. But you don’t care. You’re just enjoying the scenery. The light of the evening sun floods into your eyes. You sigh, relaxed.”

 

“Hmm,” TJ smiles, eyes still closed.

 

“And when the train stops, the green hills rolling and mist forming. I’ll be there waiting for you. Because you make me happy. I’m happy with you and I sure hope that you’re happy with me.”

 

His eyes open, and the light floods into the pools of blue and green, making them look like they have flecks of gold in them. He smiles again. And he whispers, “I am.”

 

 

*

 

I tie a blue tie around TJ’s neck, looking him in those eyes. I let myself fall in love with those eyes, because eyes never change. If you fall in love with someone based on their eyes, you know that you’ll be in love with them forever.I want to be in love with him forever, and I hope that he wants the same. That’s why I want him to meet my parents today.

 

When we’re ready, clean shaven, teeth brushed, and in Sunday’s best, I pull him out the door. We run down the steps of our flat until we burst out onto the street. Snow dances around us, the ghost of our breath leaping out of our mouths to dance too.I offer my arm, and we split away, apparating across London, and into the suburbs where my childhood home is.

 

TJ takes it in. He’s only ever been once, when my parents weren’t home. I’ve met his parents countless times, because I said I was ready to do so. But TJ’s always been nervous about things like first impressions, even if it might not seem so. Maybe it has to do with my first impression of him. He probably sees it in my eyes as if I thought that he was a scared little boy, drowning in his own regrets. I truly saw him as strong and courageous. I didn’t know any other boys who would let themselves cry, even alone. And even so, he’s my forever. So first impressions don’t count for us.

 

I’ve always been mad at my mum for embarrassing me, but today it feels necessary as TJ and I walk through the green door. This way TJ can see me exactly how I am. I don’t want to pretend with him, and I’ve never wanted to. Mum beams, her wrinkles twisting. And then immediately she wraps her arms around me, and then examines TJ with her big hazel eyes, and then hugs him too as if they’re old friends.

 

“You must be TJ,” Dad says, walking into the entryway. “We’ve heard so much about you.”

 

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you Mr. Arringer.” TJ responds, holding his hand out for a shake and flushing.

 

“Oh, it’s Jackie, please.”

 

“Jackie.” TJ says awkwardly. Dad smiles at him, and motions towards the dining room.

 

“We’re so happy to have you here.” Mum smiles, heading into the kitchen to get dishes and trays of food. “Christmas Eve Brunch has always been a big thing in our family,” Mum says to TJ, as she sets down a tray of fruit.

 

 

*

 

As we eat, I’m glad to see TJ relaxing. Surprisingly he’s talking to my dad about his sister, and how she always wanted to be an actor, but never got around to it. He doesn’t mention what happened to her, though. I’ve seen him do this a lot. He’s never comfortable enough with people to tell them what really happened.

 

“What is she up to these days for work, then?” Dad asks. I shake my head a little, to try to get him to drop it and pick some other topic, but I’m too late. I grab TJ’s hand under the table and squeeze it.

 

But, surprise, TJ says. “Oh, she died when I was fourteen.”

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Dad says.

 

“Don’t be, it happened nine years ago.” This hits me. I’m shocked. I know TJ’s been insecure lately about it still upsetting him, and how he should be more manly about it, but I didn’t expect him to just leave it behind. I remember when he told Lyra, and even with a best friend of two years who he spent a lot of time with, he’d rushed past the topic. But now he keeps going.

 

“You must miss her quite a bit.” I try to get Dad to stop, but TJ just waves me off and answers Dad.

 

“I do, every day.”

 

“And what was her name?”

 

“Olivia.”

 

“She sounds very special. I’m sure she meant a lot to you.”

 

“She was, and she did.” I’m still sitting in shock. What is this? Why is he suddenly so open, especially since he was so nervous about meeting my parents.

 

“Who wants tea?” I say all of a sudden, slamming my hands on the table and causing my family and TJ a bit of a shock. I just want to move past this feeling. I’m so surprised that I can’t really deal with it, and I want to know what made TJ decide to talk about Olivia before he continues to.

 

*

 

Mum and Dad both hug TJ once our coats and boots are on. They tell him that he’s welcome anytime, and that they would have liked to meet him earlier, but that at least it wasn’t later. They kiss me on the cheek, and they tell me what a special person I’ve found. Well, at least I got the approval I was looking for today.

 

TJ and I step outside, however, instead of apparating right away, TJ asks me if I want to take a walk, with a bit of a grunt.

 

“Um, sure.” I reply. I reach for his hand, but he pulls away. This shocks me even more than what happened over brunch in my childhood home.

 

“What was that? With your parents?” TJ asks angrily.

 

“What?” I question. I have a small idea of what he’s talking about, but I want to be sure.

 

“Waving your dad off, when he asked about Liv.”

 

“TJ, I thought you’d be hurt.”

 

“I was hurt. But I can handle it myself!”

 

“Well I’m so-rry that I was so shocked.” I apologize with a sarcastic tone. “Because after weeks of being nervous about meeting my parents you talk about Olivia as if she were the weather, when you never do that. You _never_ do that TJ!”

 

Our boots crunch in the snow as we make our way to nowhere and anywhere. We continue to have a strained conversation, both of us wanting nothing to do with a fight.

 

“It never occurred to you that I just wanted to help?” I ask, willing myself not to get angry with him but failing and letting my frustration out. I don’t want to be yelling at him. I don’t want this to be our first _real_ fight. We’ve fought about little things before. Stupid things. Like where to get take out or not leaving underwear on the bathroom floor, but never something like this.

 

“Maybe it did. But maybe I wanted to talk about Liv.”

 

“TJ, you don’t have to just rush out of feeling bad if you still do. It’s not unmanly to feel pain. We all grieve.”

 

“I know Ben! Stop treating me like an idiot, just because you were a Ravenclaw doesn’t mean you’re the smarter one! I know that I’m sad but for how long? I’m allowed to stop feeling bad about something I can’t change, and I’m allowed to talk about Olivia. She’s dead, not gone, Ben!” TJ shouts, grabbing my wrist and looking me in the eyes.

 

I rip away from his grip. “I know TJ! I’m not treating you like an idiot, I would never want to see myself as better or worse than you. You’re my equal. I just don’t want to see you feel bad about yourself for grieving your sister.”

 

“I don’t feel bad about myself!” TJ roars. “Stop putting words in my mouth, Ben.” The second part he says much calmer.

 

“I’m not putting words in your mouth, TJ. I’m just stating what I see!”

 

“Well I don’t feel bad about myself.”

 

“Good, because you have no reason to.” I tell him, looking him in those beautiful eyes that I’ve fallen in love with. “You have absolutely no reason to.”

 

“Of course I do.”

 

“No. You don’t.” There’s silence all around us, the only sounds are of the trees dancing in the in the wind. I think about it long and hard, and don’t even think about all I thought about when I say “marry me.”

 

There I go saying things at the wrong time all over again.

 

“What?” TJ asks, suddenly much calmer.

 

“You heard me,” I say confidently. “Marry me.”

 

“We just had a huge fight, and your asking me to marry you?” TJ asks, in an unimpressed tone that disbelief runs after.

 

“Yes. Nine years and not a single meaningful fight, that seems like pretty good odds that we’ll have a happy marriage. And I’d rather have one big fight every decade and love each other more than anything, then have little fights all the time and grow to secretly loathe each other and get a rocky divorce.”

 

“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll have to think about it.” I can feel my face fall. I turn around and start to walk away, but five seconds passes and TJ calls out to me. “Okay, I thought about it.”

 

“So?”

 

“No duh Ben, you’re the most important thing in my life. I can’t live without out you.” He smiles, his anger completely dissolved. “Of course I’ll marry you!”

 

He runs towards me and hugs me tightly. “I’m sorry that I accused you of all that, it wasn’t right.”

 

“It’s alright.” I smile, kissing his head. “Let’s agree to never let either of our families cause a fight between us ever again.” I tell him, stroking the side of his jaw.

 

“Agreed.”

 

“So,” I laugh. “Shall we go announce our coming marriage to my parents?”

 


End file.
